Setanta.com previews and predicts the UFC 99 tussle between Wanderlei Silva and Rich Franklin.
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THE TALE OF THE TAPE
|
Wanderlei Silva |
Rich Franklin |
| Age |
32 |
34 |
| MMA record |
32-9-1-1NC |
26-4-0-1NC |
| Height |
5ft 11 |
6ft 1 |
| Weight |
195 |
195 |
| Last opponent |
Rampage Jackson (L) |
Dan Henderson (L) |
Stylistically, this is a beaut of a match-up. The thunderous animal-instinct brawler with devastating Muay Thai skills up against the technically superb striker who out-thinks the best of them.
Wanderlei was and, who knows, maybe still is a beast. A former PRIDE champion, the Brazilian will drop to middleweight after this catch weight contest, where his smaller frame should be perfectly suited to a crack at Anderson Silva's title.
Franklin is the thinking man's Mixed Martial Artist, who has combined with "The Wizard" Matt Hume to plot his way to the 205lb title.
The Cincinnati man has lost to just three men in his nine-year career. Those men? Former PRIDE champion Dan Henderson, current UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, and current UFC light-heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida.
Silva by contrast, has lost to more opponents in the past three years than Franklin has in his entire career, although once again the roll of honour reads Mirko Cro Cop, Dan Henderson, Chuck Liddell and Rampage Jackson.
The key to the fight will be the pace of it.
Wanderlei needs to come out steaming, like he did against Keith Jardine, try to hurry Franklin into a mistake - get inside and let those deadly hooks do the talking.
Unsurprisingly, Franklin's job is to keep Silva at arm's (or more importantly leg's) length, mixing up the same body kicks that shattered Matt Hamill to establish a range that Wanderlei cannot close.
The jab, the straight left and the body kick are Franklin's friends, the man is arguably the closest thing The UFC has to Lyoto Machida for pure skill, if he can keep the tempo slow he can pick Wanderlei off all day long.
A flash KO will see Silva's arm raised, a points decision has Franklin written all over it.
EXPERT'S VIEW: Wanderlei will become frustrated if he cannot inflict pain early, Franklin has all the options - particularly bearing in mind that his long limbs would allow him to fire shots out of Silva's guard should the fight go horizontal.
PREDICTION: Franklin - Unanimous decision